logo
Disabled driver loses discrimination claim over delay at toll bridge

Disabled driver loses discrimination claim over delay at toll bridge

Irish Times16-05-2025

A disabled driver who made a statutory complaint over being held up for less than two minutes when a toll bridge camera misread his car's number plate has lost his discrimination claim.
The
Workplace Relations Commission
(WRC) has rejected a claim under the Equal Status Act 2000 against North Link M1 Ltd, the operator of the tolled section of the M1 motorway in counties
Meath
and
Louth
.
The claimant, David Tyrell, is a beneficiary of the Disability Toll Exemption Scheme (DTES), which allows adapted vehicles for disabled drivers to use toll roads for free, the WRC heard last month.
On October 2nd, 2024, Mr Tyrell arrived to a toll plaza on the M1 motorway and proceeded into an unmanned lane. His car's registration 'appeared on the screen', but the barrier did not open, he said in evidence.
READ MORE
The control room operator on the day, Louise McMullen, said she asked Mr Tyrell if he had paid because she 'did not know he was exempt'.
When an issue arose, she 'realised there had to be a digit missing' from the registration number captured on the system, and that was why she asked him to call out the number and proceeded to search the plate number on the motor tax system.
Ms McMullen said this took a minute to do.
She acknowledged that she did tell him: 'If you use the operator lanes in the future, it'll be quicker.'
Mr Tyrell's position was that he 'should be allowed to use unmanned toll lanes just as non-disabled drivers do'. He also contended that he should not have had to speak with the worker about his status as a beneficiary of the toll exemption scheme as it meant disclosing his disability to his passenger, he said.
Sinead Morgan of DAC Beachcroft, appearing for the toll operator, submitted that the DTES guidelines advised pass-holders to use a manned lane so that if a registration plate was misread by the system, 'a staff member can quickly see a DTES disc and lift the barrier without any questions being asked'. Mr Tyrell accepted under cross-examination that he had not read the DTES guidelines.
Adjudicator Emile Daly accepted Mr Tyrell 'did not know all this' in regard to how the system worked and that that he believed discrimination was at play when he took his claim.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

EasyGo to roll out domestic shared charging scheme
EasyGo to roll out domestic shared charging scheme

Irish Times

time11 hours ago

  • Irish Times

EasyGo to roll out domestic shared charging scheme

Electric vehicle charging company EasyGo has teamed up with the Department of Transport to roll out a pilot programme that will see homeowners paid to share off-street car chargers with neighbours and members of the public. The scheme is designed to remove one of the obstacles to adoption of electric cars, namely limited off-street parking to install a home-charger. Under the plan EasyGo will supply and install a free charger to homes with homeowners then able to share access through EasyGo's platform. The €140,000 scheme covers densely populated areas, commuter zones and rural areas, and will initially be available to homeowners in the Stoneybatter and Phibsborough areas of Dublin, Kilcock in Co Kildare, and Dingle in Co Kerry. READ MORE EasyGo's Victor Balfry said the ideal number would be 15-20 chargers installed at homes and small businesses in each area. Homeowners will be reimbursed monthly by EasyGo at a rate that will never be lower than what they pay for their electricity, and they can set the times that access is permitted to suit their needs. 'The homeowner will always be in control,' said EasyGo chief executive Ollie Chatten. He said the scheme could change how communities think about EV infrastructure. It will also be used to gather data that will feed into the Government's future plans. 'It's a great opportunity for us,' Mr Chatten said. 'We're very excited to be working closely with Government on it and hopefully helping them frame future policies.' Initially designed to run for 12 months, there is an option to extend the scheme to 24 months and open it up to more areas around the State. 'This innovative pilot reflects how local action can support national ambition,' Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien , said. 'By enabling homeowners to share access to EV chargers, the Shared Charging Scheme taps into the power of community to close infrastructure gaps, accelerate EV adoption and help achieve our climate goals. 'It's a practical, inclusive and forward-thinking initiative that strengthens the resilience and accessibility of Ireland's charging network.' EasyGo recently signed a £300 million deal in Scotland to install more than 500 new chargers and maintain almost 800 existing ones. The 20-year contract covers the Highland, Aberdeen city, Aberdeenshire and Moray council areas of northern Scotland. Mr Chatten said the Scottish contract would allow the company to increase its staff at its Maynooth, Co Kildare office, where it employs 70 people. 'We will be able to service chargers in Scotland from our technology here in Ireland. That's a really exciting project for us,' he said.

Ogier and Landais claim Rally Italia Sardegna as McErlean adn Treacy finish 34th
Ogier and Landais claim Rally Italia Sardegna as McErlean adn Treacy finish 34th

Irish Examiner

time21 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

Ogier and Landais claim Rally Italia Sardegna as McErlean adn Treacy finish 34th

No stranger to achieving and breaking records, French driver Sebastien Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) clinched another with his fifth Rally Italia Sardegna victory but not before he survived an overshoot on the final stage to finish 7.9s ahead of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 of Estonian Ott Tanak, whose team mate Kalle Rovanpera took the final spot on the podium. Following their second stage drama on Friday, the Irish crew of Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) returned to the event under "Super Rally" where it was all about gaining more seat time and making preparation for the forthcoming and next round Acropolis Rally. Finishing 34th, McErlean said, "A lot of good learning, and hopefully someday we can use this (running first on the road) for the first day. A big thanks to the whole team, because even before this last service, it was a big job inside seven minutes to fit a front left damper. Hopefully some good learning for Greece and it definitely means you have to have a good Friday at WRC. It's been a busy one for the team." Sebastien Ogier (left) and Vincent Landais (Toyota Gazoo Racing) celebrate their victory in Rally Italia Sardegna Olbia, Italy. It was a record breaking fifth win ifor Ogier.. Picture: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool. Ogier began Saturday's six stages with a 2.1s lead over Fourmaux and duly extended that margin to 7.4s on the morning's first stage where Fourmaux was unhappy with his performance. A stage later, there was more disappointment when his Fourmaux's Hyundai punctured some 5km into the stage before he had to stop and change the wheel at the 16km mark losing around four minutes and dropping to seventh. More drama followed on SS9 when he lost two more places following an off road excursion. His team mate Ott Tanak fared better and with the fastest time on SS8 closed the gap to leader Ogier to 4.5s - the latter had his stage time revised after he was slowed by the dust from Fourmaux. A stage later Tanak lost time with a slow puncture to drop 15s behind Ogier. The rally leader remained calm and consistent through the repeat loop but Tanak with two stage wins cut the deficit to 11.1s. With Fourmaux and Sami Pajari (puncture) faltering, their Toyota GR Yaris team mate Kalle Rovanpera gained a few places to move into third. Championship leader Elfyn Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) was another driver forced to stop and change a punctured wheel (on SS11) and ended the penultimate leg in fifth. With their M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 re-fettled, McErlean/Treacy had the task of sweeping the loose gravel from the stages. After the morning's second stage, McErlean said, "I have new appreciation for world champions, who win championships by doing that (being first on the road). On Sunday's the final leg (six stage) and having extended his lead to 17.1s on the penultimate stage, Ogier seemed to have everything under control. However, he had an overshoot on the closing few kilometres of the Wolf Power Stage when his Toyota didn't turn into a tight rutted right hander and ended up in the bushes. Twelve months ago a final stage puncture robbed him of victory, but this time and reversing his way out of trouble, he took the spoils and a record fifth win. With his team mate and championship leader Elfyn Evans finishing fourth, Ogier is now into second - 19 points behind and one ahead of Kalle Rovanpera, who won the Power Stage and also took an additional five points for the faster driver on Sunday, Rovanpera is only twenty points off Evans in a Toyota lock-out of the top three championship positions in the Drivers' championship. Meanwhile, Killarney's Colin O'Donoghue (Ford Escort) won the Laois Heartland's Rally as he finished the day's six (2x3) stages 4.6s ahead of the Toyota Starlet of Monaghan's David Moffett with similar car of Richard Moffett, 13.6s further behind in third. Monaghan's Johnno Doogan (Ford Escort) led Richard Moffett by 6.7s after the first pair of stages but retired on the road section to SS3 with a broken half-shaft. O'Donoghue, who experienced transmission woes on SS2 moved into the lead on SS3 only for Richard Moffett to move 0.8s ahead after SS4. O'Donoghue was best on the final loop to secure victory. Rally Italia Sardegna (Round 6, World Rally Championship) Olbia:1. S. Ogier/V.( Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3h. 34m. 24.5s; 2. O. Tanak/M. Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+7.9s; 3. K. Rovanpera/J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+50.5s. 4. E. Evans/S. Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+5m. 05.7s; 5. T. Katsuta/A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+7m. 29.6s; 6. O. Solberg/E. Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+8m. 32.9s; 7. S. Pajari/M. Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+10m. 29.0s; 8. N. Gryazin/K. Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+10m. 58.7s; 9. R. Dapra/L. Guglielmetti (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+12m. 15.3s; 10. K. Kajetanowicz/M. Szczepaniak (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)+12m. 21.1s. World Rally Championship for Drivers' Standings (After Round 6): 1. E. Evans 133pts; 2. S. Ogier 114pts; 3. K. Rovanpera 113pts; 4. O. Tanak 108pts; 5. T. Neuville 83pts; T. Katsuta 63pts; 7. A. Fourmaux 44pts; 8. S. Pajari 31pts; 9. G. Munster 18pts; 10. J. McErlean 12pts. World Rally Manufacturers' Championship Standings (After Round 6):1. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 312pts; 2, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 243pts; 3. M-Sport Ford WRT 87pts; 4. 4Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 48pts. Laois Heartland's Rally, Stradbally: C. O'Donoghue/K. O'Donoghue (Ford Escort) 40m. 31.7s; 2. D. Moffett/M. Connolly (Toyota Starlet)+4.6s; 3. R. Moffett/D. Kelly (Toyota Starlet)+18.2s; 4. M. Carbin/D. O'Sullivan (Ford Escort)+59.8s; 5. F. Kelly/L. Kelly (Ford Escort)+1m. 18.3s; 6. E. O'Callaghan/J. Dalton (Ford Escort)+1m. 23.3s.

People trying to book a driving test facing ‘ridiculous' wait to log in
People trying to book a driving test facing ‘ridiculous' wait to log in

Irish Times

timea day ago

  • Irish Times

People trying to book a driving test facing ‘ridiculous' wait to log in

Some people attempting to book a driving test have had to wait over an hour to log in to the Road Safety Authority (RSA) website amid 'particularly high levels of traffic'. When attempting to access the site in recent days, users have been notified they are in a queue 'due to exceptional demand'. In some cases, people have been told their estimated wait time is more than an hour. One person who attempted to log in to the site described the wait time as 'ridiculous'. A spokesman for the RSA said the organisation has 'experienced particularly high levels of traffic to the booking system' in recent weeks following efforts to tackle the backlog of people waiting to take their driving tests. READ MORE 'This has led to intermittent delays for some users, especially during peak times which we appreciate can be frustrating,' he said. Some people have reported difficulty logging in to the RSA website The spokesman noted that most people are able to log in and complete their booking within an average of 10 minutes. 'However, this can vary depending on a number of factors and variables – including the time of day, the level of traffic on the site, internet connectivity and the device being used,' he said. The spokesman added that the RSA's current focus is on 'reducing waiting times and delivering additional capacity' for driving tests, but there are also plans in place to 'upgrade the booking platform and IT infrastructure once service levels have sufficiently reduced and stabilised'. As of May, around 100,000 learners were waiting to sit their driving test with many people waiting several months to get an appointment. The RSA recently launched an action plan to reduce this wait time to 10 weeks by early September 2025. Measures announced under the action plan include hiring more testers, setting up new driving test centres in key areas to bring the national total to 60 centres, and expanding testing times from 7.25am to 7pm. [ Driving test logjam: how to beat the long waiting times Opens in new window ] The action plan also notes there will be 'targeted manual intervention in the booking system to ensure invitations are issued to areas of greatest demand to ensure more efficient slot allocation'. On Thursday, the RSA said a fall in the average national waiting time for a driving test to just under 21 weeks was 'encouraging early progress'. The average wait was 20.6 weeks as of May 31st, down from 21.4 the previous week, which the RSA said was 'significantly ahead of the forecasted 25 weeks'. It said the reduction reflected the 'pace and focus' with which the RSA had been implementing targeted measures. The waiting time for those booking a driving test varies significantly depending on location, with Tallaght currently having the longest estimated wait time of about 36 weeks.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store